All 4 castles that Criston Cole conquered in House of the Dragon Episode 4, explained

Criston Cole is now in charge of the Greens after Aegon named him Hand of the King in a recent episode of House of the Dragon. After Otto Hightower's slow and steady efforts in the initial days of the war, Criston Cole took the offensive in Episode 4 to win more swords and advantage for Aegon's cause. Here is each castle that he took, which Houses inhabited them, and how these Houses have influenced the events in Westeros over the years.

Castle Stokeworth: House Stokeworth

The first castle on Cole's campaign was likely Castle Stokeworth, home to the house of the same name. With the Stokeworth's close proximity to King's Landing, the house has a long history of being present at court. This means that whoever rules over House Stokeworth in the show was likely among the lords who Otto Hightower demanded allegiance from in the penultimate episode of the first season. When Cole arrived at Stokeworth, he added their soldiers to his army. We can see the Stokeworth sigil, a lamb holding a goblet, on the shields of his warriors.

Before the Dance, Lord Alyn Stokeworth served as Hand of the King to Aegon the Conqueror and his son Aenys. Alyn was tasked with overseeing the construction of the Red Keep and reported directly the King's sister-wife Visenya. Alyn died when King Aenys sent him into the Riverlands to put down a rebellion.

Much later, during the time of Game of Thrones, the Stokeworths are still present at court and routinely provide food to King's Landing during the war. In the Song of Ice and Fire books, Bronn marries and has a child named Tyrion with Lollys Stokeworth. Bronn also kills several members of the Stokeworth family so Lollys can inherit the castle herself, effectively making him lord.

Rosby: House Rosby

House Rosby is very similar to Stokeworth in that it provides much of Kings Landing's food supply. Like House Stokeworth, it adds its soldiers to Cole's army with no contest. In the books, the Rosbys are regarded as being physically frail, putting them at a significant disadvantage in the cruel world of Westeros.

During the reign of Aegon I, Lord Jon Rosby was put in charge of Sunspear, the recently conquered capitol of Dorne, to rule in the Targaryen's stead. Unbeknownst to the crown, the Dornishmen had not been defeated, but had merely abandoned their castles. They returned once the dragons had left their kingdom. Lord Rosby was killed when he was thrown out of a window by the elderly Princess Maria Martell.

Along with the Stokeworths, the Rosbys were one of the houses that supported the reign of Maegor the Cruel, garnering them negative PR. During the Dance of the Dragons, the Rosbys continuously switched sides, angering both the Greens and the Blacks.

On Game of Thrones, the elderly and sickly Lord Gyles Rosby acts as a crony for Cersei Lannister in King's Landing. He's a pain in Tyrion's butt during A Clash of Kings. Gyles' brownnosing pays off as he is named Master of Coin by Cersei Lannister, and he promises to build a statue of Tywin. The Rosbys are also teased to play a major role in Cersei's future in the series.

Duskendale: House Darklyn

As we see in "The Red Dragon and the Gold," Criston Cole's first obstacle is the town of Duskendale, which is ruled by House Darklyn. Unlike the previous houses, the Darklyns remain loyal to Queen Rhaenyra, and seemingly put up a fight aginst the Green army. Unfortunately, Cole overwhelms the town and takes Lord Gunthor Darklyn captive. Cole decides to make an example of Lord Darklyn by taking his head in front of his army and the townspeople. Lord Darklyn stays loyal to the end, chastising Cole for being a traitor and warmonger before spitting at his feet and styling him by his book nickname, "Kingmaker."

In the show, Gunthor is the father of Rhaenyra's kingsguard Steffon, weaving an interesting thread into the story. Steffon is clearly devastated to learn about his father's death, and it's both tragic and fascinating to see a Kingsguard so personally affected by the war.

The Darklyns routinely produced Kingsguard for their Targaryen overlords, as represented by the seven white shields on the House's sigil. House Darklyn dates back to the Age of Heroes, and at times ruled as kings over the surrounding lands. By the time of Game of Thrones, the Darklyns are technically an extinct House.

In 277 AC, King Aerys II was taken captive by Lord Denys Darklyn and held prisoner in Duskendale after Lord Darklyn was refused a royal charter. With Tywin Lannister, who was serving as Hand of the King at the time, waiting outside the city with his army, Ser Barristan Selmy infiltrated the city and rescued the king single-handedly. Tywin and Aerys then ordered the destruction of the Darklyns. Their lands and titles were transferred to House Rykker.

Rook's Rest: House Staunton

The climax of "The Red Dragon and the Gold" takes place at the castle of Rook's Rest, the seat of House Staunton. Nearly everyone, including Cole's subordinate Gwayne Hightower, did not understand why the Greens were marching on such an inconsequential castle like Rook's Rest, which did not have much strategic, military or economic value. But Cole did not want the castle; he was using it as a trap for the Blacks. A trap that mostly worked out, as the Blacks lost one of their key dragonriders in Princess Rhaenys and her mount Meleyse.

Like the Darklyns, House Staunton resisted the attack and Lord Simon watched the deadly dragon fight from his walls. Simon's fate remains unknown; the last we see of Rook's Rest is Gwayne leading the Green army through the breach to presumably take the castle.

During the time of Dunk and Egg, Lady Rohanne Webber, who is an ancestor of Jaime, Cersei and Tyrion Lannister, marries a Staunton who dies after choking on a chicken bone. A Lord Symond Staunton served as Master of Laws for the Mad King Aerys II. He apparently contributed to the king's fears of his son Rhaegar attempting to overthrow him. At the time of Game of Thrones, there is little to no mention of a Staunton, but they presumably still rule over Rook's Rest.

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